About five years, I was stepping off my bus and headed towards the front door of my house. I saw a crazy car sitting in my driveway that looked as crazy as that car you see in the end of Daddy Daycare. I walked in the house, shouted my typical hello for my mother to yell back from down the stairs. I put my backpack down, took my coat off and walked into what was once our toy room. In that toy room was not just toys, but a strange looking man, sitting on my floor and playing with my brother's to motorcycles. This man was not a child, but a full grown man playing with my brothers toys in my toy room.
"Holy crap!!! Who is this man?", I thought to myself. I ran down the stairs and asked my mother. She had two wonderful, but unfamiliar middle-aged women sitting with her. I asked my mom what was going on. She then declared that the man playing in my toy room was a young man with down syndrome who was the brother of her client. "Okay, they knew about him", I thought to myself. Thats a good step.
Shortly after they left, I talked to my mom about the clients. They owned and ran an adult daycare for adults with special needs. I had a light interest in working individuals with special needs, but I knew nothing. I had friends who had learning disabilities and some that were mentally challenged. I didn't know that people with Cerebral Palsy couldn't feed themselves all the time. I didn't know that just because your nonverbal, and wheelchair bound, doesn't mean your dumb. I didn't know that adults were diapers and I didn't know a whole lot of other things. I didn't even know that people with disabilities couldn't have jobs.
My mother suggested I volunteer at this place. At this time I hadn't really practiced the skill of calling people to inquire about stuff. I only called people I knew. Okay, I met these ladies once for like five minutes and I thought they were sisters. I did find some interest though and my mom handed me the phone number to call for volunteering and stood there to monitor my conversation.
I punched in the numbers and let the phone ring. A lady picked up on the other end. Her name was Lynn. I asked her about volunteering and asked her when I could come in. Before I was committed she told me that the place would be stinky because of dirty diapers and clients would cough on me when they were eating. "Great, I thought". I decided to give it a try because Lynn reassured me that I wouldn't have to do any of that stuff. I would just play with the clients and be a watchful eye.
I walked in on my first day of volunteering and I was greeted by Lynn, a client and the two cats. I though the center would be a building, but it was actually built into a store front with crafts celebrating the holidays hanging on the windows. That might have been coloring or whatever else they had been doing. Lynn introduced me to the client she was working with and then showed me the rest of the clients. We walked towards the back and past tables full of clients. Some sitting in chairs and others in wheelchairs. The first client she brought me by was a 22 year old young woman who was supposedly the social light of the party. She was nonverbal and in a wheelchair. How could she be the social light? She couldn't talk. I soon learned that she could talk, using a communication device.
We moved on through as Lynn gave me the tour. I saw a client sitting in a wheel chair the the biggest curls ever. She was clapping her hands, laughing, and rocking back and forth. She wasn't in there. She was severely disabled. As the day went on, I figured out things I could do with a variety of clients. This client that I walked in to that was clapping and rocking could actually play ball. We would put a ball on her lap and she would throw it. It wasn't meaningful play, but it was play.
From this day forward, with all of these experiences, I had my eyes opened very wide. I learned that every one has abilities not matter how small. I loved every moment there and I met lots of people. I ended up volunteering for about four years. We moved to a new center where we reside now. We are huge now. About two years ago I got hired though and it was the best thing that could've happened to me at the time.
I started the summer after graduation as a part time employee. I have worked there for two years now and I have learned so much, but sadly the time is coming to an end. My last day is going to be next Tuesday, because I feel the need to move on at this point. I am going off to college in the fall anyway and I found that this would be the best time. I have another summer job working with special needs again. I will be working with kids this time though and the job is closer to my home. I also have a boss that knows I have disabilities and has worked with my disabilities. She knows that I am not as emotionally mature as people my age and I think it will be a great fit, but we can't forget the stuff I learned over the years.
I have learned first and foremost that everyone deserves a chance. A chance at living and a chance of living outside of an institution. They deserve a chance to have an education and to reach there full potential. They deserve a chance to speak there opinion and to be social with others no matter how quiet or loud they are.
Secondly, we all have something to offer no matter how big or how small. If you can toss a ball, or see for the first time in your life. If you can run a motorized wheelchair or count your numbers. If you can bake or you can bead. If you can make a decision or even express an emotion, we all have talent and ability to some extent. We can all breathe and that is a skill. Don't take the little things for granted. Give others a chance and realize the potential no matter how small!!!
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